In today’s digital world, consumers are bombarded with hundreds of targeted messages each and every day and the sad truth is that most, if not all of these messages, are simply ignored. The problem with such marketing messages and the reason why they’re ignored is that they offer no real value to the consumer. Modern-day consumers know that they’ve got a ton of options when it comes to choosing products and services, so why should they choose yours?
If you want your message to resonate with potential customers, then it needs to be personalized – forget the conventional “spray and pray” used by TV and print marketers. One approach to overcome this challenge is by adopting a customer-centric marketing approach, specifically the See, Think, Do, Care framework.
Using the See, Think, Do, Care (STDC) Framework to Reach Consumers Across Their Purchase Journeys
See, Think, Do, Care (STDC) is a simple, yet effective framework that can be used to place your customers at the center of your marketing efforts in order to reach them across key stages throughout their purchase journeys. Rather than taking a linear approach to purchase journeys, the STDC framework targets different audience segments, each with their own different intent and each requiring a different marketing strategy.
See. Audiences in the “See” segment are those in the earliest stages of the purchase journey. Consumers in this segment are those who actually have no commercial intent but have the potential to be engaged and become interested in what you have to offer.
Think. As the name implies, this audience segment represents those consumers who are thinking about making a purchase. While they haven’t yet made their decision, they’re definitely considering it and display some commercial intent.
Do. Audiences in the “Do” segment have strong commercial intent. These are consumers on the brink of making a purchase and it’s only a matter of time before they seal the deal.
Care. “Care” audiences are those who’ve already purchased from you, typically more than once. These are consumers who have proven their loyalty to your business – loyalty that you want to keep and should be working hard to maintain.
Always remember that consumers can enter the purchase journey at any stage and that there’s no defined order in which they complete their journey. By implementing the See, Think, Do, Care framework in your marketing strategy you’re able to leverage your knowledge of which stage the audience is in and focus your marketing efforts accordingly, sending out the right messages and giving you an edge over the competition.
STDC Framework: A Practical Example
Imagine that you run a tour company in Calgary offering sightseeing tours and adventures in and around the city.
If you want to reach consumers in the “See” stage, then showing a video of the spectacular Rocky Mountains could be more impactful than an email blast sent out to the masses in an attempt to drive traffic to your site. If you want to reach an audience in the “Do” stage, however, it may be more effective to launch a paid search ad campaign offering a discount to people who searched for keyphrases such as “sightseeing tours around Calgary”.
Just like choosing formats and channels, tailoring your messages to the specific stage and the audience demographic you’re targeting will help you stay relevant. For example, many customers in the “Care” stage would have already purchased a tour from you in the past and would most likely respond well to a newsletter about your new summer tours.
At the Three Marketers, we’re firm believers in putting the customer first to remain relevant and successful in today’s digital landscape. Contact us today if you’d like to learn more about the STDC framework and how it can be used to take your marketing efforts to the next level.
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